Mortgage servicing activities generated stronger profits during the fourth quarter, helping to offset a drop in production-related income, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of corporate earnings releases from a group of 13 major lenders. As a group, the 13 lenders reported $612.9 million in mortgage servicing income for the fourth quarter, up 94.5 percent from the previous three-month period. However, three shops reported losses during ... [Includes one data chart]

United Guaranty, the largest private mortgage insurer in the nation, filed to go public this week, touting its market position, longevity and the strong profits it posted over the past two years. Then again, it’s been a tough market for mortgage-related stocks this year. Overall, United Guaranty hopes to raise $100 million by selling 19.9 percent of the firm, with its parent company, American International Group, retaining the balance while setting the stage for eventual ...

Commercial banks and thrifts reported $153.1 billion in single-family home loan sales by their mortgage-banking operations during the fourth quarter of 2015, a steep 24.8 percent drop from the previous quarter. For the year, secondary market activity was up from 2014 but still relatively sluggish. Depository institution mortgage-banking shops sold $721.2 billion of home mortgages last year, a 19.9 percent increase from 2014. But 2015 was the ... [Includes one data chart]

An estimated 96 million adults in the U.S. are renters who have never had a mortgage, many of whom would seem to be prime targets for first-time homeownership. However, more than half of the renter population is unlikely to receive mortgage financing anytime soon, due to underwriting factors or a preference to remain a renter, according to industry analysts. In a new report, researchers at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center developed ...

Individual borrowers purchasing homes in the era of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s integrated disclosure rule, dubbed TRID, generally seem to be having an improved overall customer experience, despite a few bumps in the road, according to two recent surveys. But the progress for homeowners is coming at the expense of mortgage lenders. A survey from the STRATMOR consultancy found that overall borrower satisfaction is at a multi-year high ...

The HFPC found that 63.8 million adults – 52 percent of renters in the country – don’t have a high enough credit score to qualify.

Fact: The Mortgage Metrics report for the third quarter of 2015 was 66 pages while the most recent issue was slashed to just 14 pages.

Can (and will) Congress act to fix the TRID mess?

Bank of America ranked second in home equity holdings with $125.69 billion.

Jim Picard, vice president of Denali Home Loans in Alaska, said that so far this quarter, his firm’s volume is up almost 13 percent compared to the year ago period.